Crumpled Roses
by Cadistar
Summary: After Bertha Jorkins loses her memory, it is through the help of Dumbledore that she manages to learn about her long lost son and Sirius Black.


**Summary: When Maya Sommers learns she is not who she thought she was, she will need help from Dumbledore in order to learn her true identity and the son she never knew she had.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters except Benji. I wish I owned Sirius... sigh... He is sooo amazing. 3**

**Haha**

**Enjoy. Constructive Criticism is welcome/encouraged. Please R&R.**

**-Cadi**

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**Crumpled Roses**

I sat down on a blue plastic seat. I gazed at my flight ticket. 15.45. Darn one more hour. I sighed loudly. The airport was loud. It was a wonder that the old man sitting across from me can sleep through all of this. Maybe he died… he suddenly snored loudly. I guess he's not dead. I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep. 5 minutes later I felt someone staring at me. Well actually, I smelled them first. The person smelled fruity. Smelled sort of like Raspberries I think.

"Bertha?" I opened my eyes. In front of me was a girl with purple hair. She looked at me curiously. "Can I help you?" I asked rudely. Did she call me Bertha? Who's that?

"Bertha! I'm so glad I found you!" she exclaimed happily. I shook my head in disagreement. "No, my name is Maya. Maya Sommers." I said to her.

"Oh. Ok. Maya, Well I need you to come with me." She said matter-of-factly.

"No. I'm going to Albania." I told her angrily.

"Yeah, yeah. Ok. Just come with me. I need to show you something." She said exasperated. She grabbed my arm and walked me to the ladies restroom.

"What is it? Who are you?" I asked nervously as she locked the door behind her.

"I'm Nymphadora Tonks. But please, call me Tonks." She said brightly. She didn't let go of my arm. "Hold on tight." She said mysteriously.

"What?" I asked panicking slightly.

I suddenly felt the floor slide from under my feet. The room went blurry. I screamed. Then as soon as it started it all ended. A dark and dingy hallway materialized. There were creature heads hanging on plaques on the walls. I cannot begin to describe the amount of cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.

"This way please Maya. Oh and keep it down. You don't want to disturb anything." She said emphasizing my name slightly. She led me down the hall and turned to the door on the left. Inside was a small table with many papers on it. An old man with a white beard, a crooked nose and twinkling blue eyes behind an old pair of glasses, was seated on a chair by the desk.

"Ah Bertha Jorkins, I'm so glad you can join me!" the old man exclaimed joyfully.

I glared at him. "I'm Maya Sommers. I think you have the wrong person." I said for the second time today.

"Oh yes. I was warned. My apologies, Maya." He said kindly looking at me. I had the sudden feeling as though he was looking through me. "Can I go now? I need to catch my flight." I told him angrily.

"I'm afraid not. It's too dangerous. After all I promised Sirius to keep you safe." He chuckled lightly. I felt as though I was missing the joke. "Why not? And who's Sirius? What does he have to do with me? WHAT'S GOING ON?" I asked getting seriously annoyed.

"Well Bertha, I would have to tell you the whole story. It's rather long actually." He said looking very old and weary. I almost felt sorry for him, but that didn't stop me from telling him rather rudely: "Well I just decided I don't care. Good Day." I got up and walked to the door. To my displeasure I realized the door was locked. I growled softly. "Will you please take a seat Bertha?" the old man asked politely. I sighed. "It's Maya." I went back to the seat and sat down. He pulled a basin from under the desk. It was filled with a silvery liquid. I gazed at it curiously, until he cleared his throat; getting my attention.

"Maya, if you please, listen to everything I have to say. Don't be narrow-minded." He said calmly. I said nothing. He continued. "First of all, please listen to me and believe me when I tell you that your name is not Maya. It's Bertha Jorkins."

I shook my head vigorously.

"Yes Bertha, its true." He said sympathetically. Was this some sort of joke? I know who I am. "Furthermore—"

"Wait." I interrupted. A thought had passed through my mind. "you never told me who you are." I pointed out.

"Oh indeed. I have forgotten. Do forgive me. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He said grandly. I processed his words in my head.

"Witchcraft…" I began confused.

"And wizardry." He added.

"You're a…?" I asked uncertainly.

"wizard." He finished.

"Ok. That's it. I'm out of here. You're a psycho. I don't know who you think you are nor what's going on here, but you should let me out or else." I threatened. He just sat there staring at the basin on the messy desk. I waited for a reaction. None came. He just stared. Finally curiosity got the better of me. Against my better judgment I asked "what is that?"

He finally reacted. "Funny you should ask." As if he wasn't waiting for me to ask. "This Bertha, is the answer to many questions the both of us have. This is called a Pensieve. It stores memories."

He stirred the liquid substance with a long narrow stick. I realized that this stick might be his wand. He pulled out a small bottle full of more silvery substances. He motioned to the Pensieve. "This is a memory." He said answering my unasked question. "Need you to look inside the Pensieve." He said while pulling the cork off of the bottle. He poured the liquid inside. I stepped up to the Pensieve and expected to the bottom of the basin.

Instead I saw a grassy area. It appeared to be a field, a stadium of some sort. There were people in the seats surrounding the stadium. I leaned in closer and fell in.

Instead of hitting the bottom of the basin as I expected, I landed next to a group of people. Surprisingly one of the girls looked like me, a younger version of me.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Dumbledore stood next to me. "Funny seeing yourself. Do you recall this or any of these people?" he asked. I shook my head.

WHOOSH! A boy wearing scarlet robes flew by on a… broomstick? The crowd went wild. I could hear one side of the field yelling "Gryffindor!" I looked at Dumbledore in confusion. He nodded towards a boy. The boy was yelling "Whoa! Yeah! Go James!" he had black hair and handsome features.

"Uhm excuse me. What is this?" I asked the boy. Dumbledore patted my shoulder when the boy ignored me and continued cheering. "He can't hear you." I looked at him. He had an amused expression on his face. I turned to look at younger me. She was sitting next to the boy.

"Are they…am I…? Is she...? going out with that boy?" I asked uncertainly. I noticed that he was holding her hand. It was kind of secretive. No one would be able to tell unless they were standing in front of them like I was. Dumbledore looked at who I was referring to. "Yes." He said simply when he noticed that I was talking about younger me and the boy. Younger me and the boy were staring past us and looking at the people on brooms.

"Dumbledore? What is that?" I asked pointing to the field. There were people in scarlet robes and people in canary yellow robes. Looking at the players he replied: "this is a wizarding sport called Quidditch." I gazed at the players. Looking away from the field a huge castle grabbed my attention. "Are we at Hogwarts?" I asked Dumbledore who was really quiet. He looked at younger me and the boy. I noticed that it was getting dark.

"Come on Bertha. Let's go back." He said softly. I hesitated. "no I want to watch." I said pointing to the field. But then I noticed that I couldn't see the field anymore. I allowed myself to leave. I landed in the dark office again.

"Dumbledore? Where is this place? What is this place?" I asked looking around. The windows were boarded up allowing no sunshine in. the only source of light came from the ceiling chandelier that was clearly less than 40 watts.

"We are in the House of Black." He said digging through his pocket again. He pulled out another bottle identical to the one before. I groaned loudly. "Oh no. not another one?" he smiled. "Yes another one. It is important for you to understand." He said calmly as he poured the contents of the bottle into the Pensieve. I looked inside and still felt the shock when I fell in. I had landed by a lake. There were only a few people outside. A majestic castle caught my eye. I asked him again. "Is that?"

"Hogwarts, yes. Do you remember it?" Dumbledore asked curiously. I looked at his blue eyes and got the feeling he was looking through me again. I shook my head.

I looked at a group of boys by a large tree by a lake. "the one with the black hair leaning on the tree is Sirius Black, the one with the untidy hair is James Potter, the one laughing right now is Remus Lupin." Dumbledore said pointing to each one. "and the last one is Peter Pettigrew."

"Black? As in House of Black?" I asked suddenly remembering the dark and dingy house. Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah you made the connection without help. "yes we were indeed in Sirius black's house." He said positively delighted. He then pointed at Sirius. Sirius was staring at a girl. I realized it was younger me again. Her face was glowing as she was chatting with her friends; gossiping no doubt.

"Who are you staring at Padfoot?" James asked looking into the direction that Sirius was staring intently towards. Younger me kept glancing towards Sirius while she was gossiping. I have never seen myself that happy. Remus gave a sudden laugh. "Come on Prongs; leave him alone, he has the rights to stare at a girl as much as you have the right to stare at Lily Evans."

James messed up his already untidy hair while Peter glanced up at James anxiously.

"Come on Bertha. Let's go back." Dumbledore said as the memory went blank again. I allowed myself to be pulled back to the office. Dumbledore made his way to the desk and sat down. "Bertha? Do you have any questions?" Dumbledore asked kindly. I hesitated. "What does Sirius have to do with me?" I had seen these memories but they proved nothing. I was still confused.

"He has everything to do with you." Dumbledore said simply. He smiled at me. I hesitated again. "What do you mean? Is he related to me or something?" I asked unsure of what he would say. He didn't answer, but instead he pulled out yet another bottle. I frowned. Again?

"I believe this one may have the answers to the questions you just asked Me." he said consulting a paper on the messy desk. "yes the third memory." He said absentmindedly. He looked up at me. his blue eyes give the impression of being x-rayed. Maybe that's some sort of magic. He beckoned me to go to the Pensieve again. I stepped up to it and looked in.

It was nighttime. I could see two dark silhouettes sneaking out of a secret passageway in the side of a stony building. Dumbledore arrived next to me. I then realized that this building was Hogwarts. "Hurry." One of the dark figures whispered. They sprinted across a dark field. A half moon's light shone dully as a cloud uncovered it. It illuminated the figures momentarily. It was a girl and a boy sprinting towards a lake.

"Follow them." Dumbledore said taking long strides to catch up to them. I ran after him. It took a while before I realized that we were heading towards the same place we were recently in, in the last memory. The boy stopped by the large tree. He pulled the girl towards him.

"IS that Sirius and… me? Younger me?" I asked whispering softly. I knew that they couldn't hear me but I still felt the need to whisper. I felt as though talking would ruin the memory. Dumbledore was obviously thinking along the same lines. He nodded curtly. I said nothing more. Sirius began to speak softly. I got closer to listen to what he had to say. "Bertha, you're leaving this year… I still have one more year. Promise me that you will wait for me. Promise me."

Younger me looked away at those last words. "Promise me?" he asked more softly now pleading. To my (And younger me's) shock, he got down on one knee. "Please…" his voice trailed away as younger me pulled him up to his feet.

"Sirius, I can't wait forever." She said not looking at him. He refused to be put down that fast. "One more year Bertha. Just one. It's not that long."

"Sirius, I need you now." She said more sternly. Her eyes got watery. I glanced at Dumbledore. I had heard a soft rustling next to me. I had forgotten he was here.

She looked up at the dark sky. "The moon is beautiful… Drop out of school. Come with me. Share more beautiful skies with me." she said hastily. Sirius dropped gaze. "I can't do that." He said softly.

"Well you're going to have to." She said to him matter-of-factly. "Benji needs you."

"Who?" he said breathing loudly.

"Benji. Your son."

"I HAD A SON?!?" I yelled suddenly breaking the silence. "YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT!"

Dumbledore looked at me sympathetically. "I didn't know how to tell you. So I simply let your memory do the talking." Sirius stood there looking at younger me in disbelief. I could hear him saying something but I wasn't paying attention. "Dumbledore. Where is he?" I asked gritting my teeth.

"Where is who?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"Benji!" I yelled as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Dumbledore gestured around him. The memory was changing. A Large and beautiful circular view came into focus. There were curious silver instruments on spindle legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke.

All around the walls were portraits of people whom were… moving? I stared in awe despite the fact that I was extremely mad. On a golden perch was a lovely red and gold bird. There was a handsome claw footed desk and behind it was a shabby tattered pointed hat on a shelf. Behind the desk was Dumbledore. Two Dumbledores? One next to me and one behind the desk.

A loud knock made me jump. The Dumbledore behind the desk opened the door with a wave of his wand. In entered Sirius.

"I have a problem." He said boldly. Dumbledore nodded. "Yes indeed. You came to the right place. What can I do to help you?"

"Well…" Sirius hesitated. He looked over at the bird to give him time to think. "Bertha Jorkins is pregnant." He blurted out. He looked at Dumbledore who did not look surprised.

"Yes, dear Bertha came to tell me a while before she got the courage to tell you." Dumbledore said looking at Sirius intently.

"Professor, she wants me to drop out of school. Surely you think that's a bad idea…" he trailed off.

"Yes indeed. That would be most unwise. However Benji greatly needs you. Stay in Hogwarts until the baby is born. Then you will have to assume responsibilities as a father." Dumbledore said to Sirius who looked as though Christmas was cancelled. Clearly this was not the response he wanted to hear. Nodding quickly Sirius made his way out the office leaving Dumbledore to ponder.

"Did he want the baby?" I asked the Dumbledore next to me forgetting that at the moment I was extremely mad at him.

"Unfortunately it seems as though he didn't at first. He did come back though. Watch," Dumbledore said wisely. And sure enough Sirius came back.

"Professor," Sirius said hastily. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Hide them. Make sure no one knows of the child." Dumbledore said seriously. Sirius looked at Dumbledore and nodded. This time his nod was genuine. He then left without a word and walked away slightly happier. With that, the memory turned blank again. I too, turned and left landing in the dark office. Dumbledore landed smoothly next to me. I walked to door. I was going out to find Benji, but the door was still locked. Desperately I turned to Dumbledore. "What happened to Sirius?"

"He came back a few days later to give me good news." Dumbledore explained. He paused to conjure up a goblet of… water? Perhaps? He took a sip and asked, "Would you like something? Tea? Pumpkin Juice?" I shook my head.

"And?" I beckoned for him to continue. This kind of stuff only happens in those sad love movies, not in real life. "News of what?" I asked anxiously. "He wanted to let me know that he decided to marry you. You were six months pregnant when you and Sirius got married. It was a private wedding. No one knew except Lily and James. They were your closest friends so naturally they were your witnesses."

"Lily and James? Who are they?" I asked frowning slightly. After asking my question I remembered the boy in the memory with the messed up hair.

"Lily Evans and James Potter. They too got married later on." Dumbledore said looking very solemn.

"So if I got married… my last name is?" I asked slowly. He claimed my name is Bertha Jorkins… Personally I liked Maya better. "Bertha Black. But for security reasons, everyone referred to you as Bertha Jorkins. Dumbledore explained suddenly looking very tired. It suddenly occurred to me how old he looked. He must be near his 100th year of age. Did magic perhaps make you live longer? I didn't want to be rude so I didn't ask that. Instead I asked, "So then what happened?"

"Sirius dropped out of school quietly. His departure caused many questions and rumors even among the staff." Dumbledore recalled. "We told everyone that his mother was sick. He went with you and was there for the birth. Benji Sirius Black was the baby's name. I do not know what happened next but two years later Lily and James potter had a son. James was Benji's godfather, and Sirius was little Harry Potter's Godfather."

I listened carefully. I now realized that I couldn't remember that far back. I only remember a while ago, I woke up in a hospital and a woman claimed she was my mother. She said that I had hit my head very hard. That was almost 4 years ago.

"During these times, a dark wizard terrorized the wizarding community. He called himself Lord Voldemort. It was a year later that he killed Lilly and James Potter. The strange thing is that he tried to kill Harry, but couldn't. Little Harry was barely one year old when he survived a curse that had previously left none alive." Dumbledore said tragically, bowing his head.

"What about Sirius and Benji? And why can't I remember any of this?" I asked frustrated. I banged on the desk.

"A friend of Sirius, Peter Pettigrew cornered him and accused Sirius of betraying Lilly and James to Voldemort. That was the day Peter and 13 other people died. Sirius was sent to Azkaban, Wizard prison." He explained smiling at the confused look on my face.

"So Sirius killed 14 people?" I said unable to believe that my husband (whether I remembered him or not) would do such a horrendous crime.

"No, of course not." Dumbledore said animatedly. "Peter set it up."

"So is Sirius still in jail? Is that why you are telling me this instead of Sirius himself?" I asked Dumbledore.

"Sirius broke out of Azkaban approximately 6 years ago. He set out to find Benji after all this time. It was 4 years ago that I decided to protect you, and with Sirius's help, I managed to keep you hidden from the Wizarding world."

"Benji… Where is he? How old is he?" I asked. This was a more pressing issue. To my surprise Dumbledore chuckled softly.

"Benji is 19. He is a Healer. You know them as Doctors." He said once again explaining a term that I was unfamiliar with.

"What about Sirius? Where is he?" I asked unable to hide the concern in my voice. Dumbledore's smile faded. "Unfortunately Sirius was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's followers." He said bowing his head once more. It took a while for his words to sink in. My heart dropped when I realized what he said.

"D-dead?" I asked. A knot formed in my throat. I wasn't able to say anything, Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes filled with tears. I knew mine had too. I stood up swiftly. "No! You're lying!"

A loud knock on the door made me jump. The door opened and a young man walked in. He was very handsome and had familiar black hair. He walked up to Dumbledore who proceeded to shake hands and give him a hug.

"Bertha, meet Benji, your son." Dumbledore said grandly as though he were presenting royalty.

"My son?" I asked breathlessly, looking at the young man, I then realized that he reminded me of Sirius, his eyes, his hair, even his nose were identical to Sirius's features.

Mother. It's been a long time." He said in a deep voice. He gave me a big hug and seemed genuinely glad to see me. At that point it mattered not that I had missed my flight. All that mattered was that I had met my son. True, I only just found out about him, but a mother's love is unconditional.

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Years later, I slowly regained my memory. I remembered all the fun times I had with Benji as he grew up, and I regained the memory of the news of Sirius's death.

I mustered up the courage to go to the graveyard where Sirius was buried. It took a while, but I went. I now go every month to place new flowers besides the ever growing pile of Crumpled Roses.

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**What did you think? I personally love the name Benji Sirius. please let me know what you thought and whether you can think of anything that would improve my FanFiction.**

**Thank you for reading!**

**-Cadi**


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